The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-08-17
CARLOADS OF MONEY.
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THE
NATIONAL TREASURY.

NATIONAL TREASURY.
some Startling Figures About the Ouanti-
| " oil Money in tho United States Treasu-
ry--Tho Public Debt Half Paid.
WASHENGToN, August Few persons,
perhaps, who read the frequently pub.
Ilshcd reports OF the fiscal operations of
the government give any consideration
to the vaStness and significance of these
operations. We read of the hundreds
of millions of gold and silver in the
treasury, but how few persons have any
Intelligent idea of what is embraced in
the nine figures required to describe the
liabilities and assets of the government?
1T Is only when the auriferous contents
oil tho treasury vaults are weighed and
measured and placed by the side of arti-
Giles and commodities that are daily
handled by the masses that an Intelligent
comprehension can be obtained by the
people OF the financial strength of the
treasury and the great extent of the gov
ernments fiscal operations.
>. h.'N " IclcIcucc 10 Inc latest pub
llshcd statement of treasury assets and
liabilities that among the assets wos
G2Sl, ,O96,317 in gold and nearly $3.50
o0O,OOO III silver, including $1,000, 600
OF trade dollars and fractional coins.
Taking up this 1921, 900, 900 of gold and
placing it on scales, l find that the gold
hcld by the treasury weighed 80 tons,
and If packed into ordinary carts, one
ton to each cart, it would mako a pro-
ccsslon two miles long, allowing twenty
lect OF space for the movement of eacb
horse and cart.
The weighing of the silver produces
much more interesting results. Running
TINS over the scales | find its weight to
be 1886 tons, Measuring it in carts, as
IN the case of the gold, the silver now
hcld by the treasury would require the
services OF 1896 horses and carts to
transport 1T and would make procession
over twcnty-one miles in length.
The surplus about which so much is
Sad IN the daily newspapers amounts to
nearly $l7000,o0O, an increase of
-, ,OVO,OOO since July |. Counted as
gold this surplus would weigh eighty
SIX and cne-half tons. Counted as silver
il would weigh 1885 tons.
Zach million Of gold adds 3, 6S5 pounds
to the surplus, and each million Of silver
adds $3.50 pounds.
Applying cubic measurement to the
treasury gold and silver, and piling the
two metals on Pennsylvania avenue as
cordwood is piled before delivery to the
purchaser, | find that the gold would
measure ttirty-sevcn cords and the silver
lJ2 cords, and that both would extend
from the treasury department to A.
street, or from the treasury to the pen
sion oihce III straight line, and forming
a solid wall eight feet high and four feet
broad.
Extending these calculations and COM
PARSONS to the interest bearing debt,
equally interesting results are obtained.
The pubic debt reached the highest
point IN August, 1866 just twenty-five
years agO-when it was -, ,3Sl, $50, 295,
The general reader will better appreciate
tho vastness OF this sum when informed
that it represents 70, l5U tons of silver,
which would make procession of carts
that would extend from Richmond, Va,
to point twelve miles north of Phila-
delphia, the distance it would thus cover
being 26G miles.
The interest bearing debt is now mot
including the Pacific Railroad bonds),
$I,UOl,9I6, $40. showing that the sum
paid has been 81 1879, DOB, Il5, or moro
tllhLl oIIC-lluh Oh inc IOtll amount, and
representing 10, ,G37 tons of silver dollars,
which would extend l5I miles if packed
IN carts containing one ton each.
Reducing these figures to a basis
where they may be intelligcntly COM
pretended, and that the rapidity with
which the government has reduced it's
bonded debt may be fully realized by
the general reader, find that the reduc-
ton has been at the average rate of
$62, 6OG, 965 each year, $5,225, 5Sl each
month, Sl7l, 1876 each day, $7,258 each
hour and $l20.47 for every minute of
the entire twenty-five years.
Pursuing the calculation to the smallest
dlvisiblc space of time, the bonded debt
of the United States has been decreased
at the rate of $2O.07 every second, or for
every swing of the pendulum, for the
entire period from August 81, 1865, to
July 81, 1887.
This is an exhibition of recuperation
and material progress on the part of the
country and OF sterling honesty and in
tegrty on the part of the government
and people that is without parallel in tho
worlds history.